Monday, June 1, 2009

Blogging on the Road: Dante's Inferno

Well, I'm off to lead a two week field course on the geology and natural history of the Hawaiian Islands. I and the 26 students and volunteers I am traveling with are going to explore three of the main islands: Hawai'i, Maui and Kauai. I've been planning this for more than a year, and at the moment I am sitting in the waiting area at San Jose Airport for my plane to Honolulu.

So why Dante's Inferno? Because I'm going to see erupting volcanoes, steam vents, sulfurous hissing vents of hell? Well, no. It's because I love airports, and especially airport security. I love that our government was so traumatized by a single would-be terrorist idiot who tried to burn up his shoes that millions of people every year have to take off their shoes to get through the security lines. I love that some other hapless idiot made up some crap about making liquid explosives that we can no longer take a bottle of water through a security line without causing an 'incident'. That we now have the right to pay $4 for a bottle of water once we are past the security lines. I love airports and all the crazy crap we have to do now.

Why do I love airports? Because there is a good chance that going through one may be the worst part of a trip, and I've already suffered through it.

You CAN carry an empty bottle through security, then fill it at a fountain. It can be tedious with one of the dribblers, but if you find one with a good flow, the couple of minutes it takes is more than worth the $4.00 savings. I haven't traveled much since 9/11, but I've done this a number of times. I refuse to buy bottled water, except in an emergency: I've only done it once.

About Me

I am a teacher of geology at Modesto Junior College and former president of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, Far Western Section. I have led field trips all over the western United States, and a few excursions overseas, but my homebase is the Sierra Nevada, the Great Valley, and the Coast Ranges of California.

Blooks, Boogers and Bleries

Here are some of the series I've produced for the Geotripper Blog:

The Other California: what to see when you've seen all the really famous places in the Golden State (in progress). Into the Great Unknown: A rafting journey down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. The most incredible adventure of my life (so far)!